Flu

It was late morning, coming up on lunchtime, and Rick stood in the hall with Nate outside Garret's room. No one had seen hide nor hair of Garret all morning, until Nate had come to tell him the Brookshire footage had arrived, finding him in a feverish, lethargic state. Rick had immediately checked him over, despite Garret's desire to be left alone.  

"I don't think it's anything to worry about." Rick shrugged at Nate. "I'd say the main culprit is an immune system compromised by Agency drugs. Top that with exhaustion, bad eating habits, spending hours in a cold rain, and what I'd guess is a dose of depression. It's gonna take a few days at least to pull out of this one, but it shouldn't require more than your over-the-counter flu medicine. As far as the lifestyle and emotional aspects, that I can't help with."

He tucked his hands in his lab jacket pockets. "I did take a blood sample just in case but I'm not expecting signs of anything but a virus. Hard part now will be getting him to rest and eat properly so his body can fight. I dare say he's got a harder head than Carson ever did."


In his bed, Garret could hear a muffled conversation but was too tired to try and figure it out. Just getting up to go to the infirmary and back had been difficult, and he'd complained, but he was too weak to fight off Rick's poking and prodding. It wasn't fun - feeling too lousy to function - but apparently he was just going to have to let it work itself out. He wasn't used to being sick - other than from coming down off drugs or fighting infections from wounds. But maybe his misery was less about being sick and more about his emotional state, and he just couldn't figure that one out. 


"Gah!" Kirk's eyes went wide as Adison scampered over on all fours, stopping short before landing on his face. "What have I created?!" Hearing they were done though, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh thank heavens."

Just lying still a few moments he knew remaining here was dangerous - he'd fall asleep and not wake up til the afternoon for sure. He turned his head to look over at Adison. "The Barnes won't kill us because he'll never know."

Standing quickly before he could change his mind, he stretched tall and yawned. "Okay. Here we go." He stepped over Adison, but not without letting one foot come down lightly on her stomach, just to make her flinch. "How about breakfast?"

He went to the kitchen and peered in the open fridge door. "I got eggs," he called over his shoulder. "Bacon... I can make omelets." He ran a hand through his long hair. "Um...toast. Or I can take you out to eat."


Standing on the porch just watching the little scene, Mick couldn't help his smile. How obvious it was to see how much Xander loved his family, and how much they loved him. Despite current circumstances, a little sunshine had broken through. 

Chance shook his head at Xander. "No worries. I'm just glad everyone is safe." Leaving him be with Abby for now, he wandered closer to Mick. "We were followed a bit of the way when we left California." Abby and the kids were unaware of a run-in with a guy at a rest stop. Chance had come away unscathed - the other guy...would probably need to see an oral surgeon. "No problems since, though," he continued, "and I just got word about an hour ago that the Agency isnt planning a strike on this place any time soon. So you all can at least knock the high alert down a couple notches."

Mick frowned. "How can you be sure?"

"Trusted sources." Chance grinned. "That's all I can say. But the fact is, it would take too many Agency resources to attack all you here at the ranch right now. They want you, but it's a bad business move. For now. So enjoy the time you've got."

Mick wasn't so sure he believed him, but Chance was with the Elite so...he was trustworthy, right? "Thank you. What now?"

"Well, Xander's next move is up to him, altho staying here is the best choice for now so his family won't be vulnerable out in the open. Me, I've got a contact picking me up to go get my car and I'll be headed back to Nevada. Home sweet home."


Travis pulled on a clean shirt and tucked it into his jeans. He was feeling a little improvement this morning since he actually felt like getting out of bed. The commotion outside had caught his attention, so he figured he might as well get up and see if there would be anything for breakfast. 

He pulled the curtain aside with a finger to see out the window at what was going on. He had a few puzzle pieces but not enough to really understand what was happening. People were smiling though, so it must be a good thing. 

After pulling on his boots, he went outside and still a bit slow, aimed for the barns first. Not that he'd find breakfast there, but maybe he'd find a familiar face so he wouldn't have to walk into the main house alone. It was still just a bit awkward.